


Ain't Big Enough For the Two of Us

by lovelyavengers (fandomsandxfiles)



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Western, Gen, enjoy the product of all my useless research, i didn't know where to go with this, this is what you get when a history major writes a western au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:47:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24378958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandomsandxfiles/pseuds/lovelyavengers
Summary: Written for the Marvel Fandom Scramble Eventon a cursed journey west, the guardians of the galaxy come across a small town terrorized by a gang called hydra, and one of them decides to take matters into his own hands. Set in 1868 in the American Old West, more specifically the Arizona Territory.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 5
Collections: Marvel Fandom Scramble 2020





	Ain't Big Enough For the Two of Us

**Author's Note:**

> this was written for the Marvel Fandom Scramble 2020, and was definitely the strangest thing I've ever written, but I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Characters: Rocket, Brock Rumlow
> 
> Prompt: Western AU

"Don't give me that look like you didn't cause this!" Rocket yelled. "You're the one who crashed the buggy!" 

"Well it's Drax's fault for distracting me!" Quill yelled back. "And it's not like you're helping us drag any of our crap around fur-face!"

"It's not my fault!"

"You have stuff too, don't you?"

"Drax is fine carrying it, so why am I going to bother anyway?"

"Yeah Quill, I am fine," Drax piped up, carrying most of the team's stuff in his arms. "Do not upset the small rodent."

Peter Quill sighed and stalked up to catch up with Gamora and Nebula, who were a few paces ahead of the rest. The horses that used to pull the crashed buggy were now saddled with different peoples' belongings, and were being led by Mantis and Groot. Silence fell over the group as they walked through the seemingly endless desert in silence.

"Where are we going anyway?" Drax asked. "What was wrong with the last place?"

"Yeah Quill, what are we looking for anyway?" Rocket said, making a big show of looking around them at the dusty landscape. "I'm not seeing any of this 'progress' you keep promising us. All I see is dirt and more dirt!"

"Well maybe if you walked a little faster we'd find some progress!" Quill shot back, turning around to look at him.

"Boys!" Gamora called from up ahead. "Enough!"

Both Rocket and Peter shut up after that, and the group silently made their way through the desert.

After what felt like ages, Gamora turned back towards the group. "We think there's a town up ahead of us and we're going to stop there for a day or so. After that, we'll keep heading west until we find somewhere we can permanently settle."

"If Quill wasn't lying about coming out here," Nebula muttered under her breath.

"Guys!" Peter said, rolling his eyes. "The railroad is almost finished, and when it's done, more people are going to head out west and set up shop. Soon it will be just like back home!"

"Then why couldn't we have just waited until the railroad was done and taken that?" Rocket asked, crossing his arms.

"Because by the time the rest of the country gets here, there won't be any good land left, and the landscape will already have been mined for everything its got," Peter answered in an exasperated tone. "Haven't you ever heard the expression 'the early bird gets the worm?'"

Rocket was about to shoot back a seething remark when Drax dropped everything he was holding and startled the group. "Guys," he said. "Are you sure we can stop here?"

They had arrived at the town limits. Or, _ghost town_ limits. There was a line of rocks and wood surrounding the town, and not a single person could be seen on the street. There was a wooden stake attached to a rickety wooden sign. The words "Tombstone" and "Population: 78" were scratched into it, painted over in what Rocket hoped was red paint.

"It looks deserted, more so than you would expect for a town in the middle of nowhere," Nebula said as the group stepped over the town line.

"Unless something's keeping them inside," Gamora responded, looking around.

"Well what do you expect us to do? Go knocking door to door and waiting for someone to answer?" Rocket asked. "Because if something really is keeping them inside, they're not going to answer the door for a group of raggedy strangers."

"Well what other choice do we have?" Peter said. "We need to stop and rest, the horses need to be fed, and we have nowhere to sleep because we no longer have a buggy."

"You mean you crashed our buggy!"

"Boys!" Gamora cut in again. "Stop fighting or we'll leave you here!"

Both Rocket and Peter shut up after that, and the group walked through the seemingly deserted town silently. The buildings were wooden and built close together, and aside from the one main road, there were smaller roads connecting groups of houses.

"We're here," Rocket said, gesturing to the buildings around them. "So where do we start?" 

"Maybe the sheriff's in?" Nebula said, pointing to a building across the street. "That's probably the best place to start." 

***

"We don't get many passers-by round here," was the first thing the sheriff said when he opened the door. "Are you sure you don't want to just keep walking?" 

"Why?" Rocket said, crossing his arms. "Got somethin' you're hiding?" 

The sheriff raised his eyebrows at Rocket and ushered the group outside, letting Nebula tie the two horses to a post. "Like I said, we don't get many visitors around here, and probably for good reason. The name's Jack Thompson, and I'm the sheriff here in Tombstone." 

"What's the good reason?" Rocket really wasn't letting this guy off the hook. 

"More like a not so good reason, and his name is Brock Rumlow. Him and his gang of goons rolled in here about two months ago, and basically took over the town. The people haven't left their homes out of fear of what will happen if they're caught in Rumlow's way." 

"Where is the gang operating now?" Gamora asked. "You would think there would be people patrolling the streets, but we didn't see a soul when we arrived." 

"The saloon, probably," Sheriff Thompson answered. "Those guys haven't done much but drink, smoke, and gamble since the minute they set foot in town." 

"Can't the town band together and get rid of them?" Quill cut in. 

"You haven't seen the guys," Thompson said. "Unless y'all would like to challenge a bunch of men close to double your size, I think the town is stuck like this." 

"Where's the saloon?" Rocket asked. 

"I don't think you heard me," the sheriff said. "That's where Rumlow and his goons are. You don't want to go anywhere near that place. Stay a night or two here, but after that it'd be best for you to just continue on your way to whatever you're looking for. The Arizona Territory isn't really a place for progress anyway." 

"If you don't mind, that's what we'll probably do," Gamora said, shooting Rocket a look. Sheriff Thompson nodded and the group made their way out of the building and back on the street. 

The minute the sheriff closed the door, Rocket scanned the street. "He didn't answer my damn question. Which way do you think the saloon is?" 

"Didn't you hear what the man said idiot?" Peter Quill asked. "That's where the gang is!" 

"Well, what if I'm in the mood for a drink?" 

"Oh really? And you're not going to walk in there and pick a fight you can't win?" 

"If it's anything to you moron, I can win, and I bet you if I walked into that saloon right now the situation's not half as bad as Sheriff scaredy cat was making it seem," Rocket answered, turning away from the group. 

"Where are you going?" Gamora asked. 

"Where do you think? If anyone wants to come with me, they're more than welcome. If not, i'll see you losers in the morning!"

No one from his group followed Rocket as he located the saloon and walked in. It was dark and packed with burly guys, all drinking and shouting at each other. A haze of cigar smoke hung over the room. When Rocket pushed the door in and stepped through, no one paid him any attention as he walked over towards the bar. 

Until he shoved a man out of his way. 

In an instant, the saloon was silent, and all eyes were trained on Rocket. The man who he had pushed turned around and glowered down at him. "What are you doing here, you little rat? This place is ours!" 

"Well maybe I just wanted a drink, did you ever think of that?" Rocket shot back. "Do you ever think at all?" 

"Hey!" A large man spoke up. "You don't speak to Rumlow like that!" 

Of all the guys Rocket had to piss off, it had to be Rumlow. But honestly, if it wasn't Rumlow now, he definitely would have done something later to piss him off. "Listen here meatball, I do whatever I want!" he said, crossing his arms. 

"Really?" Rumlow threatened. "Because I could pick you up and dump you right out of this fine establishment if I wanted to!"

"Then why aren't you?" At this point, Rocket was just dead set on making things worse. 

"Because I, unlike you, have a little bit of respect for an eating establishment," Rumlow said. "But if you're dead set on us settling this like men, then a duel it is. Tomorrow, right in the center of town. High noon." 

"You don't know what you just got yourself into buddy." 

***

Rocket managed to find the rest of his friends at the small town inn for the night, and the minute he walked into the room they were all in, he started digging through their bags of stuff. "Do you remember which bag had my gun?" 

"What did you do?" Gamora caught on right away. 

"I was challenged to a duel tomorrow and it'll be over my dead body if that moron wins, so I need to find my gun real soon!" Rocket said, practically dumping the bags all over the floor. 

"Yeah Rocket, it will be _over your dead body_ if you lose tomorrow!" 

"None of you have any faith in me," Rocket said, pausing his search. "I have half a mind to be insulted!" 

"So you'd rather us go along with your ridiculous death wish than care about you as a person?" 

"Right now, yeah!" Rocket said, before pulling his gun out from a bundle of clothes. "Aha!" 

"There's nothing we can do to stop you at this point?" 

Rocket shook his head. "Nope!" 

Gamora sighed and threw up here arms. "Fine. What time is your duel tomorrow?" 

"High noon, right in the middle of town." 

"Then we leave after that, with or without you Rocket."

"Fine by me."

***

The sun rose high in the sky and it felt like forever before Rocket and the rest of the group were making their way down the main street. The townspeople had gotten wind of what was going on, and many of them had ventured outside of their homes for the first time in ages. Rocket and Rumlow were in separate buildings, and soon walked out to face one another. 

There was a show of each of them nodding at the other, but it didn't last much longer than that. Soon both of them were weaving through the street, running, and firing their guns at the other. It wasn't a one shot duel, that's for sure. No one could see anything because all of the missed shots went right into the road, kicking up dust. 

It continued like that for what felt like hours, but in reality it was only about three minutes. 

Soon, the dust settled. And one fighter emerged victorious. 

Rocket didn't relish in his victory for long. The townspeople were nice enough to give the group a new buggy as thanks for getting rid of Hydra, because with Rumlow dead from the duel the others scattered like rats into the desert countryside. It was barely a day later that the group was all ready to go, and moments later, they were disappearing into the desert.

"We're not stopping anywhere else until we get to where we want to go," Gamora said, turning to look at Rocket. "This was enough excitement for one trip, you hear me?"

Rocket huffed. "Fine! But that doesn't mean I won't shoot one of you if you start bothering me!"

Peter Quill turned around and hit him on the head, and the two started to argue again. All truly was normal, for the time being at least. 


End file.
